A distributed store-and-forward system is a data communication network comprising a plurality of network nodes in which information is sent from an originating or source node to an intermediate node. The data is then kept at the intermediate node and sent at a later time to the destination node. Oftentimes, the intermediate node will provide the data to the destination node once it is able to establish a connection with the destination node. This type of data distribution is used in a variety of contexts, such as in device-management systems in which the destination node is a wearable device (such as a smart watch) that may not always be communicatively connected with the distributed store-and-forward system.
Data distribution in traditional distributed store-and-forward systems, however, can be problematic at times. In certain circumstances, data (for the destination node) stored on one intermediate node may be different than data stored on another intermediate node, which may result in the destination node receiving outdated information.